End of Year – Product design Project by Marti George

Chinese-Inspired Night Lamp

Design Opportunity: My design teacher gave me an innovative opportunity to create a product. This product we are to create may be existing in the market already, or may be a new idea of a product or at least different from what exists nowadays (additions to an existing product). I am aiming to build something that already exists in the market however with a new style, twist and DIY skills. Furthermore I cannot really define an actual problem that is causing me to create this product, which I’ve decided to be a lamp, but it’s main purpose is to appeal to the appropriate targeted audience and lastly as a lighting home décor.

Brief Lamps play a major role illuminating our homes. Their level of brightness create different moods, setting and perceived quality of the displayed furniture and home décor. Furthermore as my final decision I have decided to innovate a distinctive Chinese box-lamp that can be used for many purposes. Primarily I intend to design and make it, so it may be a reassurance to those who have issues sleeping at night, it may include teenagers, and even to a varying degree, adults. It is proven that adults having insomnia- could be their fear of the dark. So as a cure to sleeping well, they would like a background light to soothe them into being safe. In addition to its utility in illuminating during bedtime, it can illuminate during day as they wish (although it’s mainly a night lamp). As you read cozily in your room, the lamp creates a calm, soft mood. It may be used if studying late at night, when you do not want to switch the lights on. Moreover the lamp can be adjusted – by changing the light bulb into different strengths of light, it can change every mood it’s displayed in, however it still gives that softness and calmness to the environment.

Planning my Research: It was important that I would plan my research, and make a list of what I was to research as well as what research is likely to be more suitable.

Planning – what are my best sources?

For planning I needed the internet, therefore I was going to use secondary research (desk research) to look for lamps already provided & displayed in the market, just to get a few ideas of what I could create. In addition, after I would build my prototype I would like to use primary research – preferably interview some consumers.

Collecting – only relevant information

Jotting down some notes helped me make up my mind for what type of lamp I will be making. Also available materials I could use to build it, as well as making it as affordable, elegant and sustainable as possible.

Sorting – Keeping essential data

I used plenty of sources and ideas of others that inspired me, but I couldn’t really use these to innovate my idea. Most of them looked really professionally made, with material that is either too expensive, hard to find or needs a factory (machines) to be assembled. Therefore I sorted out data that was relevant to me, and the sources I could not use.

Arranging – organize my material in my folder
Reviewing – Have I answered what I needed?
Summarizing – What have I discovered?

I’ve discovered a vast variety of lamp designs, shapes, and colors. None of them I could use as my own idea. The sources have helped to inspire and encourage me to create my own DIY lamp.

Secondary research using the internet. For my investigation on lamps I searched some of the famous websites that offer complex-looking & perplexing lamps. Some of the websites I searched:

EBay
Ikea
Light in the box
The land of Nod
Pinterest
Google

As well as websites that have created these variety of illuminating shapes, I had to investigate lighting. Lighting is one the most important studies you have to explore when creating a suitable lamp, as light does affect mood, environment & health. Articles and websites that offer studies of light affecting us were very beneficial. I wanted my lamp to mainly be used in the evenings therefore I had to think of what material could be translucent (passing the light through diffusely) to give it this soothing calmness. Additionally in my research I wasn’t sure if my lamp could be targeted for children, since I chose a dragon for my design (since it’s Chinese).

Primary research: I have researched if children were afraid of dragons, since Google was unreliable, I chose to conduct interviews with parents that have kids aged 1-5 years. The reason for my query was because I wasn’t sure if children were part of my target audience, doubting the dragon design might scare them at night. So I interviewed a few mothers about the lamp asking the…

Following Questions:

How old is your child?
Is your child afraid of the dark?
Would you purchase this lamp for your child?
If yes, why? If no, why?
Do you have any additional comments you would like to add?

The Interview is provided as “Appendix A” ,as a hard-copy.

In conclusion, the results from my interview was that more than half of the parents with young children would choose not to buy the lamp for their child, not that they are afraid of its design but for other reasons such as “may damage it” if they misbehave or the “design is not suited or targeted towards kids”. I should have considered other factors of why the lamp should not be targeted towards children, but I did benefit and learn that from my quantitative research. Subsequently I decided that my lamp should not be targeted to youngsters, as the design may be appealing to teenagers and adults rather than young ones.

Specification: Firstly this is the PRODUCT ANALYSIS/ ACCESS FM of my Chinese box-lamp.

Material

The main shape of my lamp, I have used a card-board box. I’ve also used glue, baking sheets, pastels & other types of paper for the decoration & design. Card-board box is made of wood pulp and is recyclable. Moreover the hot glue I used is a form of thermoplastic adhesive i.e. turns molten when heated and turns solid at room temperature. Moreover this glue was the most durable I could use to assemble parts together for a longer period of time. When using it – it’s quite advantageous as it dries pretty quickly, I didn’t have to wait for it to dry to continue working.

Function

The function, as mentioned before in the ‘BRIEF’, is to illuminate areas it is displayed in, such as bedrooms, living room etc. by plugging it in electricity. It is also a home décor, as a result of the detailed design. It may also be a reassurance to individuals with sleeping issues at night.

Product Maintenance

The only way for the product to be maintained is to be kept in dry areas. For its safety, it may be placed on a high surface so it wouldn’t accidently fall on the floor. If it did it wouldn’t necessarily break because it isn’t made out of glass etc. but the bulb inside it may burn for e.g.

Target Market

My target market is teenagers, college students, adults & elders. There isn’t an age limit, however it is not targeted toward children (under 12-13). The product is to be purchased at a home’s goods shop, such as Ikea or perhaps a furniture shop. It’s very light and portable and wouldn’t need any delivering home, which saves on delivery costs. It does not require being assembled, it is already assembled – only the light bulb will be purchased separately and put in (this gives the consumer a choice to what strength of light he/she prefer).

Ergonomics

Me, as the designer of the product, I think the product has been well designed to suit targeted consumers. However I do recommend when this product is being manufactured industrially that they make it out of wood rather than card-board paper. It’ll be much more sturdy and robust.

Manufacturing

It wasn’t industrially manufactured – it was mainly a hand-made, DIY project.

Style

I choose to display a touch of Chinese art on my lamp as I was inspired by their fascinating culture. I would describe my product as being elegant, trendy and very tranquil. I also chose colors that Chinese prefer such as green, yellow etc.

Environmental Impact

The product is not necessarily environmentally friendly (as it uses up electricity) but simultaneously is not considered harmful. All the materials I used in the making of the lamp are recyclable or re-useable. In addition I did design it to be durable and non-obsolete.

Costs

The cost of the materials I bought to build my project cost around €12, therefore I would sell it for €20. My product is well designed, usually for box lamps that are Chinese styled they are ridiculously expensive even if they are simple, mine is very cheap compared even if it’s hand-made.

Aesthetics

The lamp is cuboid in shape. It’s aesthetically appealing to the eye because of its distinctive design, which is complimented by its touch of Asian art. My lamp is quite medium in size therefore a small room wouldn’t look as charming, therefore a medium-large sized rooms would be more suitable to display the lamp wonderfully.

Size

0.30m x 0.40m x 0.43m

Safety

There is no sharp bits. However the bulb is easy to get for very young children. The bulb is hot and they could burn themselves on it, therefore parents should consider carefully placing it out of children’s reach.

SUSTAINABILITY – 6R’s:

How can the 6R’s apply to my product? Taking account of the materials we use, where they come from, and what we do with them at the end of their useful life is known as sustainability. Manufacturers & designers have a moral obligation to develop products that use fewer materials and consume less energy. Therefore I had to consider sustainability using the 6R’s (2 didn’t apply to my design though):

Reduce – I reduced the amount of raw materials in order to improve its sustainability. There were no emissions or toxic substances produced in the making process.
~~Refuse~~ – I did not package it
Re-use – My product is definitely re-usable, every material I used can be re-used after the product is no longer in usage or to be discarded. Re-using products is important because it requires very little processing, therefore has less impact upon the environment than products from raw materials.
Repair – Hopefully my lamp is durable. While I did use baking sheets for the design to be displayed on (because these were my only choice for translucent paper), however if the sheets rip accidentally, the lamp can still be used without those sheets, it will still light on perfectly except you won’t have the design on the sides – therefore there is no need to spend money on a new one.
Recycle – Paper, card-board, glue (thermoplastic can be recycled/re-used), glass (if light bulb burned) etc. can be recycled again.
~~Rethink~~

Carbon Footprint: I am aware that everything we produce, buy and use has a carbon footprint; a total amount of carbon dioxide (Co₂) or other greenhouse gases emitted during a product’s lifetime. Continuously, since it was a DIY project, it was not involved in any carbon emitting process that could harm the environment. Since consumers are increasingly aware of pollution and increased sustainability of products, it is important that I did consider doing something not harmful to the consumer & the environment. My lamp on the other hand my not be completely low on carbon footprint as it does use energy to work (electricity) & isn’t solar powered. However it is designed to be efficient and as sustainable and durable as possible.

Responsibilities: Those are the responsibilities I had to take in the process of developing my design proposal & creating my lamp:

Social Issues – I would recommend that my lamp shade does encourage positive social issues, such as family interaction. In the evenings families can spend time together watching a movie only on lamp light, reading, talking, and even playing board games, with a soft illumination as their background.
Moral issues – I took such a long time to make up my decision and planning for it not to harm others, but used as an elegant house decor and illumination in individual’s homes. furthermore all materials are recyclable and can be safely & easily be used. I have no intentions in harming the consumer, and I have considered any danger or caution within my design – which will be discussed further on.
Reducing energy consumption – Perhaps to reduce the energy being used, turn off the lamp when it is not needed. It is mainly created for night time, therefore there is no need for it to be used during daylight – but it is still the consumer’s choice to use it whenever he/she wishes.

Life Cycle:

Decisions undertaken during construction:

The baking sheets for side covers is self-explanatory, since they are translucent
Then I had to shade in the dragon drawing in black oil pastels, because the baking sheets are quite oily I had to use pastels as a substitute for paint.
I decided not to use oil paint because it takes a long period to dry, therefore pastels were a perfect substitution.
For the pastels to last longer, I experimented with hair-spray and it completely dried the pastel – therefore when you touch the design the pastel wouldn’t wear away.
Lastly I decided to frame my lamp with black ruffles, although I know Chinese people prefer light colors such as red, yellow, green, however since the baking sheets were light I wanted to make a contract using a darker frame. It even looked prettier when I tried the idea, therefore I kept it!

The mood-board I have submitted was more influenced by descriptive words describing what the Asian dragon meant to Chinese people. moodboard

Therefore this one is more image-orientated, I used lots of inspirational & cultural images.

Mood-Board {Inspired by Chinese Culture}:

Planning & Execution:

Finally it is time to check out how I’ve constructed the Chinese night lamp that I have been talking about this whole time. It did take a few days, since I did have to research and design it carefully, but I guarantee if you are supplied with all the materials needed to produce it, it can be done through one or two days maximum. I have created a slide-show showing all the steps and details of how it was made, plus tips and tricks. Enjoy!

This is my DIY presentation of how I made my Lamp, please CLICK the attachment: DIY-Chinese night lamp

Evaluation:

In conclusion, honestly I have put in a lot of effort to create my lamp, as well as tested it and it worked perfectly. In evenings especially it lights beautifully and creates the mood I have talked about.

However there were a few things I should have done, or would have changed to improve my lamp. I did use baking sheets to be able to let the light through lightly however I did not consider if paint or permanent markers could be used on them. As I came to fill in my drawing with marker, it would rub off! I tried colored pencils, followed by acrylics but nothing would fill in my dragon design. At last I tried oil pastels and they filled in, then I realized since baking sheets were oily, only oil pastels can be used on them.

Also when I came to stick the baking sheets, it would not stick to the hot glue I was using. Therefore I tried transparent cello-tape to stick it up. These little things had to be considered in the research stage.

In addition I did use sushi wrappers on the inside of the frame before sticking the sheets to create a silhouette, but then I realized there was no need for them as they weren’t clearly displayed after I stuck the black ruffled-border.

Furthermore, other than these small unconsidered facts, I am pleased with my sustainable, illuminating Chinese-inspired lamp.

If I were to sell these, I would prefer them done in a craft/ DIY lamp store or furniture shop. However If they were to manufacture them industrially I would recommend a few adjustments. For example, to make the lamp more sturdy perhaps the use of wood for the frame. Also for the bulb stand I made with card-board that could be made with metal or wood and lifted a bit higher (as mine was a little low. Finally for the opening at the top, if it were to be adjusted into being open and closed that would be much better, so children wouldn’t get to the light bulb & consequently burn themselves.

Lastly I did learn a lot through this extensive project, and experienced of what it feels like to be in a designer’s shoes. What’s more, is the difficulty of researching, grasping an idea that would appeal & satisfy the right target market and considering the environment & principally putting sustainability as your priority.